Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Mechanical design engineer with 10+ years of experience in mechanical and structural design for heavy-duty vehicles, industrial products and trailer mounted equipment. Skilled in 3D CAD (SolidWorks CSWP, Creo Parametric), design for manufacturability, and FEA validation of structural components. Strong background in vehicle integration and regulatory compliance for transportation equipment. Well versed in steel and aluminum fabrication processes (forming, welding, machining, laser cutting and casting). Hardware Reliability Engineer with 5+ years of experience in hardware reliability, failure analysis, and FMEA across energy storage and zero-emission vehicle systems. Skilled in accelerated life testing, environmental stress testing, and statistical reliability analysis. Experienced in test plan development, and cross-functional collaboration to drive product improvements and reduce failure risk.
• Owned the mechanical layout of Tern’s debut battery-electric vehicle offering, the RC8 class 8 tractor. Packaged components into a dense, serviceable layout resulting in the shortest wheelbase EV tractor on the market with best-in-class maneuverability • Used 3D CAD software, tolerance stack-up analysis and design for manufacture (DFM) best practices to develop dozens of cost-effective parts and assemblies • Reduced manufacturing costs by aligning designs with optimal fabrication methods (forming, welding, machining, laser cutting, casting, 3D-printing) • Validated structural components using static and modal finite element analysis (FEA). 100% of analyzed components passed on-track vehicle durability testing, avoiding costly redesigns and program delays • Created dozens of 2D manufacturing drawings and communicated critical characteristics to supply chain and quality teams to facilitate sourcing and inspection • Actively engaged in design reviews and served as a peer/lead reviewer during formal design releases • Packaged layouts for 5 zero-emission vehicles with BEV and FCEV architectures. Tracked regulatory (FMVSS/CMVSS) requirements, program requirements and interface control document (ICD) requirements while contributing to the successful integration of a broad spectrum of mechanical and electrical systems • Travelled internationally to partner facilities and cross-border manufacturing sites to provide on-site engineering support. Provided hands-on assembly assistance during prototype truck builds • Delegated tasks to junior engineers and co-op students while serving as a mentor to foster their development • Actively contributed to extensive failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) sessions. Systematically identified, ranked, and tracked risks throughout the vehicle development cycle to mitigate priority risks. • Developed first-principles based models to generate early stage vehicle range and performance predictions
• Designated as the Design for Reliability (DfR) Engineer to lead Megapack thermal system reliability validation • Generated comprehensive test plans to expose design weaknesses during product development. Uncovered numerous faults which were mitigated to improve reliability and reduce warranty liabilities • Developed validation plans covering a broad scope of systems including power electronics, battery packs/modules, thermal systems, enclosures and more • Researched physics of failure and developed models that computed stress acceleration factors. Developed tests that subjected systems to 20+ years worth of stress within condensed timeframes of weeks or months • Led failure mode and effects analyses (FMEAs) sessions with multidisciplinary teams to identify and mitigate design risks • Wrote Python scripts to analyze fleet usage data stored on internal databases. Signal data (temperature, pressure, humidity, voltage, current, etc.) was used in concert with acceleration models and statistical reliability analysis to compute data-driven test durations • Distilled validation data into actionable insights for senior leadership and presented reliability test updates on a regular cadence
• Rapidly developed a thorough understanding of reliability theory and accelerated life testing (ALT). Detected widespread discrepancies between test plan calculations and testing methodologies. Raised awareness that led to improved test procedures • Developed accelerated life test suites consisting of thermal cycling, thermal shock, pressure cycling, vibration, HALT, high and low temperature endurance, salt fog, high humidity, fretting corrosion and more • Worked with test engineers to review test setups and ensure intended stresses were achieved (voltages, currents, temperatures, pressures, actuation rates, chamber ramp rates, chamber dwell times, pre- and post- test inspections) • Worked closely with engineering colleagues (mechanical, electrical, firmware) through all phases of development; attended design reviews and provided input/feedback regarding reliability concerns • Initiated discussions with service technicians and service managers to incorporate learnings from field failures into new product testing • Wrote Python scripts that allowed for the identification of abnormal system operation and uncovered actuators that were cycling 100x more frequently than intended. OTA firmware updates were issued to prevent premature component degradation
• Developed 3D models of ship hulls and propellers using SolidWorks and Siemens NX. Models were generated with surfacing to produce geometry suitable for CFD analyses • Installed shaft-mounted strain gauges and RPM sensors to collect vessel power profiles • Designed, tested and installed a 3D-printed instrumentation housing to facilitate data acquisition • Developed automated data collection software with LabVIEW to acquire data from a ship’s Modbus TCP/IP network
• Key contributor to the development of an automated conveyor sorting system. Co-programmed an Atmel AT90USBKey microcontroller to process signals from various sensors and send appropriate commands to the conveyor belt motor drivers • Balanced the speed and accuracy of the automated sorting system to achieve one of the top scores in the class
• Owned the mechanical design of an improved acceleration pedal assembly which accommodated new throttle position sensors. The design was proven to reduce signal noise and provide better mechanical reliability • Calibrated new throttle position sensors within the car’s supervisory controller software (Simulink); ensuring safety and performance • Finalized the mechanical design of the chain tensioner, motor mount, controller mount, front engine mount, motor cap, and controller cap simultaneously, on an accelerated timeline while designing around limited fabrication resources. Completed all outstanding mechanical projects prior to the competition deadline • Developed a model-in-loop simulation platform for testing and evaluating control system changes using dSPACE simulation software. The simulation platform provides a safe environment for testing and debugging control system behavior prior to deployment on the team’s vehicle.
• Configured and deployed SolidWorks PDM Professional. Implemented workflows and permissions for engineering processes.